Hi, international student! We are happy to welcome you to our university! Our International Campus is here to provide you with all the opportunities and support you need!
For any questions related to your studies, you can contact your Study Office.
For all questions related to migration registration and visas, please contact the Centre for Visa & Immigration Support (CVMS).
Contacts: Marina Bitosova, Druzhina Valeriia
Email: migrationspb@hse.ru
Phone: +7 (812) 644-59-11 (ext. 61577, ext. 61238)
Address: Office 1005, 3 Kantemirovskaya Street, Saint Petersburg
Office hours: Monday–Friday, 11:00–15:00
Website: Visa & Immigration Support for International Students at HSE University – Saint Petersburg — HSE St Petersburg International Office — HSE University
All international students are required to comply with Russian migration laws throughout their stay in Russia. Immediately after entering Russia, you must contact the CVMS, inform the staff of your arrival in Russia, and provide your migration documents. You can find information about migration registration and obtaining temporary registration by following the link.
For all questions related to social support during your student life, you can contact the Centre for Social and Scholarship Support.
For questions related to accommodation, please contact the Accommodation Organisation Department.
All departments of HSE St. Petersburg work with both Russian and international students.
For any other questions not related to studies, social support, accommodation, migration registration, or visas, you can contact the International Student and Alumni Centre (ISAC). We will help you resolve your issue or advise you on where to go to receive the necessary assistance and answers.
You can find information on how to obtain voluntary health insurance (VHI) here. Please note that having a valid VHI policy is mandatory for legal stay in the Russian Federation.
In addition, ISAC organises social, cultural, and adaptation events and helps international students learn more about Russia and make new friends.
Contacts: Olga Gaidova, Ivana Angjelovska, Kristina Vakhrukova, Evgenii Maksimov
Phone: +7 (812) 644-59-11 (доб. 61745)
Email: isso@hse.ru
Telegram: https://t.me/hse_spb_isso, https://t.me/hsespbinternational
Vk: Иностранные студенты НИУ ВШЭ — Санкт-Петербург
24/7 emergency phone number for contacting ISAC: +7 (981) 830-15-40
Address: Office 343, Building 1, Letter A, 3 Kantemirovskaya Street, Saint Petersburg
Website: https://spb.hse.ru/io/intersupport
Attention! According to the new Federal Law dated 27.06.2018 N163-FZ all international visitors are subject to registration with the Federal Immigration Office (FIS) strictly under the actual address of their stay in Russia. This provision results in the following updates in the FIS Registration Policy towards international visitors of HSE University-St Petersburg
Tutors
Tutors of the International Students Association are second-year students who help international students adapt to a new country and culture.
Tutors are also always ready to share their experience and remind you about important deadlines for submitting documents and completing migration registration. In short, tutors do everything they can to help international students become part of the university community as quickly as possible! Find the tutor for your educational programme in the International Students Association VK group!
BUDDY
A Buddy is an international student's first friend in Russia. A Buddy contacts the student before their arrival, answers any questions they may have, meets them upon arrival, and helps them adapt to life in a new country and discover Russian culture. Learn more about the programme by following this link.
Association of International Students
The AIS helps international students adapt to the Russian education system and other aspects of life in Russia, as well as make new friends and take part in organising cultural events.
International Ambassadors of HSE University-St Petersburg
Ambassadors are international students at HSE St. Petersburg who are selected through a competitive process and undergo special training. They help HSE attract talented international applicants and strengthen the university’s international reputation. The project offers a valuable opportunity to gain experience in teamwork, build new connections, and earn ECTS credits!
Migration Regulations (Migration Card, Visa, and Migration registration)
Below you will find important information on the main migration and visa-related matters. Please read it carefully!
Your main documents in Russia are your passport, migration card, visa and migration registration (temporary registration). Always keep these documents with you!
You will receive a migration card every time you enter Russia. While you are studying at the university, you must always indicate “Study” as the purpose of your visit. As a rule, the migration card is valid for 90 days from the date of arrival, after which it must be extended.
For students living in university dormitories
The university will arrange your migration registration (temporary registration). The registration address will correspond to the address of your dormitory.
For those living in a private apartment/hotel/hostel
Migration registration is arranged by the property owner or the administration of the hotel/apart-hotel/hostel (the registration address will correspond to the address of your accommodation).
Initial migration registration: for citizens of visa-required and visa-free countries
On the day you arrive in Saint Petersburg, please send high-quality scanned copies of your migration card and all pages of the document you used to cross the border (passport or ID card) to migrationspb@hse.ru. On the next working day, please come to the Visa and Migration Support Centre at 3 Kantemirovskaya Street, Office 1005.
- On the day you arrive in Saint Petersburg, please send high-quality scanned copies of your migration card and all pages of the document you used to cross the border (passport or ID card) to migrationspb@hse.ru and wait for a reply;
- On the day you arrive in Saint Petersburg, please give the required set of documents to the owner of the apartment for migration registration;
- Once your landlord has registered you with the immigration authorities (within 3 days) for the duration of your residence permit or visa and has given you the original registration document, please scan it and email a copy to migrationspb@hse.ru, then wait for a reply.
Please see the website for details of the documents required
Extension of the authorised period of stay in the Russian Federation and registration
No later than 30 calendar days before the expiry of your initial migration registration (the validity period of your migration card and temporary registration), prepare and submit the documents required to renew your migration card and registration to the CVIS. This is very important. After the specified deadline, the Ministry of Internal Affairs office will not accept your documents, which means you will have to cross the border with Russia once your migration card has expired.
- No later than 30 calendar days before the expiry of your initial migration registration, prepare and submit the documents required to extend your period of stay (migration card) to the CVIS;
- Wait for a letter from the CVIS staff: they will let you know when your migration card is ready. Collect your renewed migration card and, on the same day, hand over the documents required to extend your registration to your landlord;
- Once the landlord has registered you with the migration authorities for the duration of the migration card’s validity and has given you the original registration document, scan it and email a scanned copy to migrationspb@hse.ru, then wait for a reply. It is important that both sides of the document are scanned.
For citizens of countries requiring a visa
No earlier than 3 months and no later than 45 calendar days before your visa expires, prepare and submit the documents required for visa renewal and temporary registration to the CVIS.
- 45 days before your visa expires, prepare and submit the documents required for visa renewal to the CVIS;
- Once you have collected your passport with the renewed visa from the CVIS, prepare and hand over the set of documents required for registration renewal to the property owner;
- Once the property owner has registered you with the migration authorities for the duration of the multiple-entry visa and has given you the original registration document, scan it and send a scanned copy of the registration to migrationspb@hse.ru. It is important that both sides of the document are scanned.
Mandatory immigration procedures
Foreign students arriving in Russia for a period of more than 90 days must undergo a medical examination, fingerprinting and have their photograph taken within 30 days after entry.
Who is exempt from this requirement?
- Citizens of the Republic of Belarus
- Family members of officials of international organisations, as well as staff of diplomatic and consular missions in Russia
- Foreign citizens with dual citizenship, one of which is Russian citizenship
- Foreign citizens with a temporary or permanent residence permit (RVP, VNZh)
To complete these procedures, you must contact the Unified Document Centre. The medical examination must be undertaken annually, whilst fingerprinting and photography are required only once. You can find out more about the mandatory procedures via the link.
Failure to comply with these procedures may result in your period of stay in the Russian Federation being shortened, or your visa or migration card not being renewed, so make sure you follow the law so that nothing distracts you from your studies and life in St Petersburg!
It is important to remember:
- You must notify the CVMS and the academic office of your study programme in good time of every entry into and exit from Russia, any change of residence, or hospitalisation
- Every time you leave Russia, your migration card and temporary registration are cancelled. Upon re-entry, do not forget to obtain a new migration card, indicate ‘study’ as the purpose of entry on it, and send a scan of the migration card to migrationspb@hse.ru
- Take good care of your documents — your passport, visa, registration and migration card — do not leave them unattended, do not hand them over to third parties, etc.
- If you lose any documents, report it immediately to the police at the place where they were lost and notify the CVMS
By following the rules of migration registration, you are complying with the laws of the Russian Federation!
More detailed information can be obtained here: Instruction on providing documents to the Centre for Visa & Immigration Support after arrival in Russia.
